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Budweiser Traces Your Family Tree To Roots In Africa

Posted by admin on Feb 5, 2008

Anheuser-Busch and its flagship brand Budweiser will help one person win the chance of a lifetime: discovering their family’s origins and the opportunity to travel to that destination to retrace their family’s history.

The sweepstakes, “Discover Your History”, provides a grand prize that includes a trip for the winner and three guests to explore their ancestral background as determined via genetic testing. The journey includes round-trip air transportation and two double-occupancy hotel rooms for up to nine nights and a completed family tree. Nine First Prizes also will be awarded and consist of genetic genealogy testing and ancestral family tree research. Official sweepstakes rules, instructions and an online registration form can be obtained at www.budweiser.com.

“One of the most basic human desires is to understand who we are and how our family is woven into the broader, historic context of humanity,” said Johnny Furr Jr., vice president, Community Affairs and Supplier Diversity for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “We at Budweiser are proud to offer a lucky family the chance to embark on this remarkable journey of discovery. We hope to inspire others to use today’s technology to learn about their ancestors and region of origin.”

Also during February, Budweiser is partnering with nationally syndicated radio host Michael Baisden to offer an additional 20 genetic genealogy tests and complete family tree compilations. Listeners may call in live during “The Michael Baisden Show,” a popular afternoon talk and music program, to answer questions pertaining to black history. Winners will be selected from listeners providing correct answers. Visit www.michaelbaisden.com for more details.

In total, 30 families will receive priceless information regarding their family history. The genetic testing will be done by AfricanDNA.com LLC, a company founded by Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. His firm aims to use historians and anthropologists to explain which of various genetic possibilities – prompted by DNA traces – is more historically likely. The genealogy investigation works by matching a customer’s DNA to a database of samples collected from Africans living today. The large migrations of African people during the last 3,000 years mean that a contestant’s DNA might share genetic similarities with somebody living today in Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Angola, Nigeria or Sierra Leone.

The contest entry period is Feb. 1 through 29, 2008. Winners will be selected among all eligible entries in a random drawing to be held in March. The Grand Prize winner will be responsible for some expenses, and travel must be completed by June 30, 2009. The sweepstakes is open to residents of the United States (void where prohibited) who are at least 21 years old, and there is no purchase necessary to enter. An independent judging agency will conduct the drawing and notify winners by mail.